Fear of public speaking is not just when you have to stand on a stage to face a crowd of an audience. So many of us are hesitant in speaking with a small group and with new acquaintances. This fear can manifest in many different forms and in different settings for different people.

And it is one of the most unpleasant fears as it robs us of many important moments and steals from us many opportunities.  So many of us get tongue-tied even when we would like to impress someone in personal or professional capacity. The important presentations that you have worked so hard for can go southwards leaving you feeling embarrassed. 

So what is this fear of speaking in public and how can we overcome it?

Fear of speaking in public is directly related to our self-esteem. When we harbor low self- esteem we are very self- conscious and mostly judge ourselves harshly. We do not believe that we can do anything good and are sure that others would not like us either.  This creates a fear of being judged which almost paralyses us in public appearances.

Also speaking confidently needs us to have adequate knowledge of general matters and our subject in particular coupled with fluent language skills. When we are not in a habit of reading or catching up news regularly we lack concrete knowledge to speak about most topics. Many people who have passed their degrees by merely studying for the examinations and do not believe in frequently updating their subject related knowledge, seem to be at a loss of adequate data to contribute knowledge even about their professional domain.

If we understand this then it is simple to understand the remedy. We need to work on gathering knowledge regularly, improving our language skills and working on our self- esteem. All three are also related because when we work on improving any of our skills or knowledge, it directly boosts our self-esteem. However many a time we may need to seek professional help from counselors, language trainers or domain knowledge providers. Asking help from close friends or family can create a safe learning environment where we can start working on our growth without being judged.

Every speaker starts from a place of fear. It is time, hard-work, perseverance and a strong desire to attain the goals that separate the ones who succeed from the others. Know that it is a process and it is never complete. You are always growing and always learning. Especially as a public speaker you are always better at the next performance compared to the earlier one, even if just a wee bit. 

Caution: If you are looking for quick results, remember that happens only in magical fantasies. Once we know it is a process, it becomes easy to start and to remain focused at it for a very-very long time. 

If you believe this can help someone, do share. To connect with Dr. Sapna Sharma for Personal Counseling WhatsApp on 8446229088 from wherever you are in the world.

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